What to Expect from Winter and Holiday Releases
Pop Mart typically announces winter-themed Labubu releases in October or November for worldwide release ahead of the holiday season. These releases follow the standard blind box format but feature thematic costume and accessory elements — Santa hats, snowflake patterns, elf outfits, reindeer antlers, and winter scarves — layered over the base Labubu design. The theming is consistent but never heavy-handed; the Labubu character remains recognizable beneath the seasonal costuming.
Color palettes in winter releases lean toward a predictable but effective range: classic red-and-white for Christmas-specific figures, icy blue-and-silver for winter-generic figures, and forest green accents throughout. Some releases introduce less expected colorways — dusty pinks and golds — that interpret 'winter' more broadly through a luxury gift aesthetic rather than strict seasonal iconography.
Release timing is important to understand for holiday series: these figures typically go on sale in November at the latest, but secondary market prices spike in December when collectors and gift-buyers who missed the initial release compete for limited inventory. If you want winter figures at reasonable prices, act at launch rather than waiting until the holiday season peaks.
Notable Winter Releases and Key Figures
The Snow Wing series (as seen in the Snow Wing Bubu edition) represents one of the most successful winter-themed Labubu designs — the white wing motif and icy palette create an elegant winter figure that works as a seasonal display piece or year-round collector item. Winter releases that transcend strict holiday theming tend to have better long-term secondary market performance because their appeal doesn't end with the season.
Among purely Christmas-themed releases, the Santa costume variants are typically the most gifted and therefore often the hardest to find at retail after the initial stock sells through. They're also the figures with the broadest non-collector appeal — recognizable Christmas iconography makes them accessible gifts even to people unfamiliar with the Labubu brand.
Secret rares in winter series often use special material treatments aligned with the season — snowflake-textured vinyl, iridescent or pearl finishes that evoke fresh snow, glow-in-the-dark treatments that reference stars or Christmas lights. The seasonal material choices make winter series secret rares among the most photographically distinctive in the full Labubu catalog.
Seasonal Display Ideas
Winter series Labubu figures integrate naturally into holiday home décor setups. They work alongside traditional holiday decorations in ways that most collectible figures don't — the theming creates contextual coherence that lets them exist in living room holiday displays rather than only on dedicated collector shelves.
For a standalone collector display, winter series figures look best against dark backgrounds with cool lighting — deep navy or charcoal backdrop materials, cool white LED lighting, and optional small decorative snowflake or star elements at the edges of the display. This recreates a winter night aesthetic that complements the figures' colorways.
Year-round display of winter series figures is completely viable for pieces that use winter as aesthetic inspiration rather than strict Christmas iconography. Snow and ice-themed figures in blue and white palettes photograph beautifully and display well regardless of season — the winter aesthetic has a clean, minimal quality that's universally appealing.
Buying Strategy for Seasonal Releases
The single most important advice for holiday Labubu series is to buy at launch. Winter series sell through faster than comparable non-seasonal releases because of the gift-giving demand layered on top of collector demand. Prices on the secondary market reliably spike in November and December, making early-season purchases the most cost-effective approach.
Sealed cases are especially worth considering for holiday releases if you plan to complete the set. Gift-giving demand means blind box retail stores sell through individual boxes quickly, sometimes leaving partial case assortments that increase your duplicate risk if you buy later in the season. A sealed case purchased at launch guarantees the standard figure run.
Consider the gift use case when evaluating quantities. Winter series figures work as collector gifts to people you know are in the hobby — a sealed box from a new holiday series is a high-quality gift that costs the same as retail. The gift-giving application justifies purchasing more than one sealed case if you have multiple collector friends or family members.